GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN: PROFILE OF A DEFEATED PRESIDENT AND A GAME-CHANGER

Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was born in 1957 in the oil rich Niger delta region of Nigeria, a Christian from Ijaw ethnic group, his family trade was canoe making but for him he strived to study  zoology at the university of Port Harcourt. Worked as an education inspector, lecturer at the university and environmental protection officer before he joined politics in 1998. Like his middle name Ebele which  means “GOD WISH” he had a rapid rise into power in the Nigeria political arena. Elected  as deputy governor for his home state Bayelsa in 1999 and took over as governor after his boss was impeached on corruption charges

               Two years later he was hand-picked by the former President Olusegun Obasanjo to the people’s democratic party (PDP) ticket as vice president in 2007. Though many groups of power brokers did not seen his candidature as a threat, that was why he gained there support  but he himself did all he could which proved his political acumen at the party primaries. Jonathan became vice president from the south to the president Yar”adua who came from northern part of Nigeria.

           Barely 12 hours after the death of his boss Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar”adua in 2010 Goodluck  Ebele Jonathan was sworn-in as the new president and commander –in-chief of the armed forces of Nigeria. Ebele Jonathan who fond of saying ‘he never had shoes as a child because of poverty” before he became president he forgot to look back at the past as he steps into the toes of some cabal and defied the governing people democratic party (PDP) traditional zoning system this action which some school of thought described as a “politician without a political base who was more of an administrator than a leader,’’ but at the end of the game he was defeated in his second term re –election bid in the 28^th march 2015 poll.

               Africans believes that incumbent must win elections at all cost but jonathan failure at that just concluded 2015 election in Nigeria proved many people wrong. While his party (PDP)  expected miracle despite gangs-ups from various quarters against Goodluck Jonathan its flag bearer, the man haven’t smells rat quickly change the game with his own plan-B agenda. He quitely come back to his middle name Ebele which means “GOD-WISH”.

                I remember in one of his interview on the national television network programme when he was the deputy governor of his own state Bayelsa he stated that “I have never struggle for any position in my life because if I deliberately did it will not materialise”. So his failure at the just concluded election is a blessings in disguised for him. He put every Nigerians in suspense and played out his joker

at the pick-period by congratulating his opponent Alhaji Muhammadu  Buhari. Jonathan a zoologist who know how to tame and cage animals now continued smillings at all his friend and fools.

                Though, he lost the election and won his credibility worldwide like that of his political god-father, chief Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo records as the first military head of states that hand-over power to the democratically elected government in 1979. Jonathan did the same thing, he is the first sitting Nigeria president that lost an election and hand-over to another democratically elected president from other political party (APC), a legacy that will forever be in the political history of the Federal Republic of Nigeria .

                Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is a “game-changer”. Who has now put another dimension to the Nigeria politics. He make sure that election henceforth will be harder to rig. Boko haram is fading away like a thin air, the national security now gathering momentum and stabilizing gradually’ while economy now on course and also he have already gave the room for a change. The people’s democratic party (PDP) has been on power since the end of military era in 1999, while year 2015 is the year that Nigerians decided that someone else must sorting things out.

             The new president Alhaji Muhamadu Buhari now need to prove to the nation that he really can sort things out, turn the table round and change Nigerians and Nigeria to a better place according to his campaign pledged. Though our expectation is high we need new lease of life.